The Wizard of OZ

The beauty of The Wizard of Oz could not have been achieved if not for Cedric Gibbons, who has appeared as Art Director on over 1500 films- though he had only worked on several- and claimed the title of the “Man who designed the Oscar.” The role of Dorothy was originally to be given to Shirley Temple, who lost out to Judy Garland, but it wasn’t in vain. The loss allowed Shirley to examine her fame as a child actor and the inability of the public to grow with her new career. She served as an example to future child stars who would be put under the same strains.

And while the film was definitely given the best of everything (actors, sets, design, sound, ), we love all the stuff you find in the backdrop- you know, those secrets people keep covered up, because when the film starts to roll, it must keep rolling. Find all of them here at the imdb.com trivia page

The PINK FLOYD Wizard of Oz coincidences from imdb.com.

There are a striking number of coincidences between events in the movie and musical cues (and lyrics) on the 1973 Pink Floyd album, “Dark Side of the Moon”. It is highly improbable that the band had a print of the movie with them at Abbey Road, and few attempt to claim it to have been deliberate (David Gilmour dismisses it as nonsense), but the coincidences are remarkable nonetheless. If you begin the album on the third roar of the MGM lion (using the NTSC version of the movie, not the 25 fps PAL version which runs a little over 4% faster) the coincidences include (but are not limited to):

The line “balanced on the biggest wave” comes as Dorothy balances on the fence.

The song “On the Run” starts as Dorothy falls off the fence.

“The Great Gig in the Sky” begins when the tornado first appears.

The song “Us and Them” is played when Dorothy meets the Wicked Witch of the West.

The line “black and blue” is repeated when they are talking to one another (Dorothy in her blue outfit, the Wicked Witch in black).

The line “the lunatic is on the grass…” coincides with Dorothy meeting the Scarecrow.

When we first see Miss Gulch on her bicycle, the song “Time” starts with its bells and alarms.

Dorothy asks Professor Marvel what else he sees in his crystal ball as the line “thought I’d something more to say” comes along in the song “Time”.

As the Scarecrow sings “If I Only Had a Brain”, Pink Floyd sing “Brain Damage”.

Side 1 of the original vinyl album (up to the end of “The Great Gig in the Sky”) is exactly as long as the black and white portion of the film.

As Dorothy listens to the Tin Man’s chest, the album ends with the famous heartbeat sound effect.

This phenomenon is known as “Dark Side of the Rainbow,” “Dark Side of Oz,” and “The Wizard of Floyd.”